In Praise of Folly | COLLECTIBLE - Curated Section | Water Street Projects | New York, NY

September 4 - 7, 2025

“A folly, in architectural terms, is an ornamental structure with little or no practical purpose. Derived from the French word folie, which loosely translates to madness, extravagance, or delight, it is a kind of playhouse for grownups, often erected in one’s own back yard. Perhaps it’s a sham Gothic ruin or a faux Pantheon by the pond. A shell encrusted grotto for hosting candlelit dinner parties. A pretend farmhouse on the grounds of Versailles. Popular in 18th and 19th century French and English landscape design, follies were not just for visual flourish. They were, in theory, a way for their commissioners to communicate ideas—be it their craze for ancient Roman virtues or their commentary on the current prime minister. It’s easy to deem such buildings totally silly—whimsical, egotistical, delusional, frivolous. But there’s something undeniably mesmerising about these decorative dream-structures whose function—or lack thereof—is merely a footnote. As the growing taste for collectable design redefines the roles our furniture can or must fulfill, does it too become folly? And what does that look like? For COLLECTIBLE New York’s Curated section I urge designers to explore this typology that so playfully indulges both delusion and delight.”

-Curated by Hannah Martin, Senior Design Editor, Architectural Digest